Jury Awards Gymnastics Coach $25 Million

The dangers of cheerleading have been in the news quite a bit recently. While the activity has become more akin to gymnastics than cheering for the sport team, there is very little oversight, and almost no training of coaches. Most high schools, for example, will simply hire a recent graduate to “coach” the cheerleading squad.

In Florida, a jury awarded a former gymnastics coach over $25 million for an accident that left him a quadriplegic from the neck down. Shane Downey was using some tumbling equipment a a North Florida Gymnastics and Cheerleading and fell and broke his neck. The jury decided the gym was entirely at fault for Downey’s catastrophic injuries.

This is an interesting verdict. Typically, a gym member would “assume the risk,” particularly someone who was apparently an accomplished gymnast like Downey.

Source: First Coast News

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